


In a Crowd of Thousands

by midnightcat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Identity Reveal, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, in a crowd of thousands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 06:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13002060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightcat/pseuds/midnightcat
Summary: Adrien sneaks out of the house as Chat Noir to go to a masquerade party at Chloe's that he wasn't allowed to attend (because Gabriel sucks). He stays away from the crowds, unnoticed by the party-goers. As he watches the parade of people, he sees Marinette, wearing a very special dress she created for the event. She strangely reminds him of his partner... What happens next? Find out! ;)





	1. The Party

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [In a Crowd of Thousands](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/344682) by Stephen Flaherty. 



Adrien Agreste was the most miserable boy at that moment in time.

He couldn't blame his father as much as he wanted to. When he had asked the question, he already knew the answer he'd probably get.

"Can I go to Chloe's masquerade party tonight?"

His father looked up from his work momentarily, to Natalie and then to his son. Then he signed in utter displeasure, returning to his business.

"No, you may not. You must focus on your studies. Natalie, have the Gorilla stay by the door."

"But, father-!"

"Enough, Adrien. I don't have time for your excuses."

He was then escorted back to his room by Natalie and left alone to sulk.

Plagg flew by Adrien's ear as he sadly sat at his desk.

"You could always use your handy dandy kwami to fix this issue and jump out the window... For a price, of course."

Adrien's mouth formed a quick smile, but it disappeared just as fast. He pushed back the tears, looking at his mother’s picture on the computer screen.

"I wish I knew why he didn't want me to go. It's just a simple party."

"I dunno, kid. Your dad always pulls this kind of stuff and you always end up leaving anyway. So why not cut to the chase?"

Adrien wondered for a second and stood suddenly. 

"Alright, I'll go. Maybe my Lady will be there. Plagg, claws out!"

He transformed and used his staff to jump from rooftop to rooftop. He was quicker this way and loved that he could blend in with his surroundings. He felt like he wanted to disappear sometimes, but when he was Adrien Agreste, he simply couldn't do that. When he was Chat, it was easier to do whatever he wanted, and that included being one with the night.

Chat landed on Chloe's rooftop and studied the party from above. He decided that if he made an appearance as Adrien, his father would likely hear about it, so instead he would just spectate and be happy to watch in the first place. He tried to find people that were easily recognizable.  
He found Nino first. He wore a red velvet tux with navy blue shoes, bow tie, and a mask in the shape of a lion. Adrien had helped him pick the outfit out and he was pleased with the results. He was proud of his best friend, especially since Nino was wanting to make a move on Alya.

Alya wore a knee-length orange and yellow dress. She was one of the brightest people there. Her fiery, feathery fox mask was one of the best there. Chat expected that Marinette had designed the dress and possibly the mask as well. That led him to wondering where Marinette could possibly be... Maybe she couldn't make it?

Then he saw her. It was a black dress that reached the floor. The back was open with red ribbons connecting the sides like a corset. The bodice was covered in what looked like rubies. The mask was a black cat, which Chat felt pride in, but the red accents and her lipstick make her look like-

“No no no,” he thought, “Stop that thought right now.”

It was like the whole world came to a stop. She was smiling, laughing at a joke someone had made, probably Alya. Something came over him and he dropped down to the front doors of the hotel. Without a doubt in his mind, and without thinking, he walked in.

The people made a commotion as he passed them. He kept his eyes on the prize at the end of the dance floor, physically pushing Chloe to the side as she tried to get his attention . Marinette stood there, her eyes wide as he made his way to her. He stopped a few feet away, bowed, and kissed her hand. When he looked up, he waited without a word. And then she smiled.

“Would you like to dance, Princess?”

Marinette was speechless for a few moments, looking to Alya for confirmation. She was already video-taping the whole thing and practically screamed for her to do it. She finally nodded and Chat led her gently to the center of the floor.

The lights began to blur as they danced. Marinette’s eyes never left his. He was surprised that she didn’t trip, seeing as she was typically so clumsy in front of him. He felt that if he could freeze time and stay there forever, he absolutely would. The party surprisingly continued as if he had never appeared and then she began to talk. 

“So, Chat…”

“Yes?”

She laughed nervously.

“Is there a reason why you picked me?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, confused by the question.

“Well, you just randomly showed up and marched up to me. I wanted to know if there was a reason why.”

He thought about it for a moment, not wanting to scare her away or reveal too much.

“I’ve seen Chloe pick on you before… And I guess I thought this would be a good way to help you out.”

She giggled, a gleam in her eye.

“It’s not because you saw me in this dress and thought that you just had to dance with me?”

“UH... Well…” He hesitated, but built the confidence to say, “That too.”

She was shocked by his answer, but played it off casually.

“I’ll take the compliment, kitty.”

He smiled brilliantly and the music slowed. He asked if he could bring her closer and she told him that he could. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his hands found her waist. They closed their eyes, enjoying the other’s presence for as long as they could.

But all good things must come to an end.

The clock struck midnight and Chat’s ring began to beep.

“Oh no! I told my parents I’d be back by now!”

Marinette separated herself from Chat, thanked him for the dance, and started to run through the crowd. Chat followed her outside, calling after her.

“Marinette! Wait!”

She stopped and turned to face him. Her dark hair blew into her face and she shivered in the cold.

“When can I see you again?”

She turned away and said, “Very soon, Chat. Very soon.”

Off she went into the night. Chat made sure to follow her home, without her knowing of course. She made it safely back. Her parents were worried about her, but they believed it when she said she just lost track of time. It was the truth, anyway. He left her behind once he saw her in their loving arms.

Adrien practically fell into his room, his transformation wearing off just in time. His landing made a loud thud and someone knocked. Plagg hid in Adrien’s clothes as the door opened. It was Natalie.

“Adrien? What was that? I came to deliver your schedule for tomorrow.”

“Oh! It was nothing. I just tripped.”

She tilted her head as she looked at the boy, suspicious.

“That’s not like you, Adrien.”

“I know… It’s probably puberty right?”

He tried to compensate for his awkwardness. While it wasn’t convincing, Natalie didn’t have the energy to care.

“Just don’t get bruised. You have photoshoots coming up.”

“Right. Sorry, Natalie.”

“Goodnight, Adrien.”

She left and shut the door behind her, leaving Adrien behind in his embarrassment. 

“That could have gone better,” Plagg stated, flying from his shirt.

“Understatement of the century.”

He stood and promptly collapsed on his bed. His head was full thoughts of Marinette, the dress, and the dance. He could remember her eyes on him, her hands in his, and that smile…

“Oh man, you’ve got it bad! What are you going to tell Ladybug?”

Adrien hadn’t thought about that and he didn’t want to yet.

“I don’t know, Plagg.”

He watched the stars outside his window as he drifted off into blissful sleep.

“All I know is I can’t wait to see her again.”


	2. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MWAHAHAHAHA have fun guys... It's reveal time!

The next day, Adrien was beaming. Every single inch of his body was screaming sunshine and happiness. Nino noticed it immediately.

"Dude, what happened? You look like you've been told you won the lottery! Not like you need it..."

"I don't know, Nino. I just woke up in a good mood."

"Okay, man. But I don't believe you."

Adrien waved when he saw Alya and Marinette approaching. He noticed just how pretty she was in anything she wore and tried to hide the development of blush that followed.

"What are you two talking about, huh?" Alya was good at prying out information. It was kind of her job, anyway.

"Oh, nothing. Just that Adrien is keeping something from me and he's totally happy about whatever it is."

"Oooooh! Is it a girl?"

Adrien denied their accusations, but noticed that Marinette hadn't said a word.

"Did you have fun at the party last night?"

Her eyes widened and she began to stutter, per usual.

"UH, to-totally! I-It would have been so much- well I mean it was already cool I guess, but uh- wh- what I meant to say was- it would have been so cool if you had yo-you know be-been there... It's cool that you're here now - I mean sorry no um... Yeah!"

Adrien tried to string together what she meant but laughed in the meantime.

"Thanks, Marinette! I'm sad I'm couldn't make it, but I'm sure it was great without me, too."

She stood there, her hands covering her face, and simply nodded. Apparently, he wasn't going to get much more out of her.

"OH MY GOD, you should have SEEN IT! Chat Noir showed up! And he walked right up to Marinette and then he-"

The bell rang and Alya continued to tell the story of the previous night. Adrien pretended that he was listening to everything she said, but he was dying to ask Marinette more about it.

"Wow, so what was that like, Marinette?"

"Wh- What?"

"Dancing with Chat Noir! I've heard he's quite the charmer and paw-sitively fantastic with the ladies."

She was about to respond to the fact that he'd used a cat pun when Miss Bustier told the class to pay attention. He faced the front of the class, disappointed that he didn't get an answer from her.

"Maybe I'll just have to get the answer as Chat..." He thought, grinning mischievously to himself.

\---

Later that night on Patrol, Chat was telling Ladybug all about the night before and his plan to visit Marinette during one of their breaks.

"So I walked right up to her, kissed her hand, asked her to dance with me, and she said yes!"

"Wow. I didn't know you knew Marinette that well. She's a pretty cool girl."

"No need to get so jealous, My Lady. It was just a dance."

Ladybug paused and studied Chat's face.

"I don't think you're telling the truth, kitty."

"I would never lie to you-"

"Save it, Chat. I think there's more to it... Why her?"

He was confused as to why it mattered so much to Ladybug. She had never shown so much interest in his romantic life before. It felt more odd than exciting, strangely enough.

"Why do you care so much?"

"I asked you first."

Chat sighed and gave in.

"I wasn't able to attend the party as my civilian self so I decided to watch as Chat Noir instead. I wasn't originally planning on going in at all. Then I saw her and I just knew I had to go to her."

"Huh. And then?"

"I- I don't know. It was like I was drawn to her. I had to at least try. I thought she wouldn't say yes, actually. I don't think she likes my real identity very much."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"You don't know how she acts around me. She never talks to me. Not really, anyway. Maybe I intimidate her too much."

Ladybug said nothing and stood behind him, watching the boy swing his legs over the edge of the building as he sat on the ledge. 

"Anyway, I walked right up to her-"

"And then you bowed and you kissed her hand and-"

Chat froze, his heart stopping. 

"I didn't tell you that."

He stood and looked right at her. 

"What?"

"I never told you that I bowed."

The realization and the terror was written all over her face. He was more sure than ever that he knew who she was.

"It was posted on The Ladyblog-"

"Alya didn't show that part. She just showed us dancing."

She stood there, silently, absolutely unsure of what to do. He, however, knew what he had to do next.

"Ladybug?"

She avoided his eyes. He asked himself if he really wanted to do this and he decided to go through with it.

"Marinette?"

The world was utterly quiet in those few moments. It felt like an eternity, but the seconds were flying past. Finally, she spoke.

"Tikki, spots off."

The only thing Chat knew was one moment Ladybug stood there and the next, there she was. Marinette. His runaway princess in the flesh.

"I knew it was you."

He embraced her as she began to cry.

"You weren't supposed to find out this way." She said.

He closed his eyes and imagined that he was back at the party where his dreams had not come true yet, holding her very much like he was then.

"I'm glad I did."

"I-" She tried to regain her composure, Tikki letting the two have their moment in the background, "I guess I should know who you are now, huh?"

Chat took a deep breath, frightened by the realization that she may despise him once she knew.

"I'm scared for you to know." He admitted.

"I was too. I thought you would push me away. But you didn't. And I won't either."

He was still unsure.

"Please, chat."

That was enough for him.

"Okay... Plagg... Claws in."

The transformation wore off and Marinette yelped. Adrien walked towards her and she took a step back. His felt a pang in his chest.

"I knew it. You hate me."

"No, no! Adrien-"

"Look, you don't have to lie to me-"

"I love you."

Adrien had been shocked in his life before, but never like that.

"You what?"

"I've been in love with you ever since you gave me that umbrella. I could never talk to you in full sentences because I was so nervous that I didn't know how to... And I never pursued anything with Chat because I felt like I would be betraying you, but now that I know that you are Chat..."

She smiled and it felt alright again.

"I guess I have an excuse to love both now, Kitty."

He couldn't believe his ears.

"I think deep down I loved you, too. Maybe I just didn't know it. I kept telling myself you were such a good friend... I tried to avoid seeing how pretty you were in class or when you stood up to Chloe, how brave you were then... And I've always loved Ladybug. I don't see how I didn't see it before, didn't see... well, you."

The two embraced again, and when Adrien leaned down to kiss Marinette, she didn't refuse.

Plagg and Tikki watched the teenagers from a distance.

"Do you think they'll part for oxygen any time soon?" 

Tikki swatted at Plagg and said, "Don't tease them. They found each other. It's about time!"

"I guess I can't argue with that..."

Tikki rolled her eyes and smiled.

"So the bug and the cat live happily ever after and I get no cheese? How's that fair?"

Tikki looked up at the stars, feeling as if this had been fate all along, and said,

"Yes, Plagg. They do get their ending after all..."

**Author's Note:**

> "The parade traveled on  
> With the sun in my eyes you were gone  
> But I knew even then  
> In a crowd of thousands  
> I’ll find you again..."
> 
> This is based on the song "In a Crowd of Thousands" from the beautiful Broadway musical Anastasia. I hope you all like it! The song means a lot to me and for some reason I saw the connection with Miraculous Ladybug. If you'd like to hear the song, here it is:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7B1cT0oQFY


End file.
